Dantia/Logs/20220519 Log

You say, "If there are no other Apprentice updates, why don't we settle into story time."
 
>smile
You smile.

>say You may have been hearing whispers around town about someone named Aesthene.
You say, "You may have been hearing whispers around town about someone named Aesthene."

Tichond nods to you.

Kintryn grins at you.

Alisabeth nods to you.

Roletiel nods to you.

>say I did a little research into the name, and learned of a very interesting story that I thought I would share about Aesthene, and his residence, Aesthene's Close.
You say, "I did a little research into the name, and learned of a very interesting story that I thought I would share about Aesthene, and his residence, Aesthene's Close."

Kethrai angles his ears forward, gazing curiously at you.

Anuril offers Kethrai a tall box of salted caramel popcorn flecked with tiny chunks of toffee.

>say An alchemist by the name of Aesthene built a magnificent mansion of grand halls, ornate cubiculums and snaking tunnels, called Aesthene's Close, here in Crossing.
You say, "An alchemist by the name of Aesthene built a magnificent mansion of grand halls, ornate cubiculums and snaking tunnels, called Aesthene's Close, here in Crossing."

Anuril takes a sip of his wine.

Kethrai accepts Anuril's caramel popcorn.

Kethrai takes a bite of the popcorn.

Kethrai leans on Anuril.

>say One room, referred to by Aesthene as his 'travel' room, would run the entire length of the upper story, with no windows nor exits.
You say, "One room, referred to by Aesthene as his 'travel' room, would run the entire length of the upper story, with no windows nor exits."

Rairken ponders.

>say Aesthene promised to richly reward any workers who would willingly hole themselves up this room and complete it, with no contact whatsoever with the other workers.
You say, "Aesthene promised to richly reward any workers who would willingly hole themselves up this room and complete it, with no contact whatsoever with the other workers."

Vaddon shifts his weight.

>say When the residence was completed, Aesthene put up a magical barrier to seal the residence off from pyring eyes and then...  promptly left Crossing with all of his servants and workers.
You say, "When the residence was completed, Aesthene put up a magical barrier to seal the residence off from pyring eyes and then...  promptly left Crossing with all of his servants and workers."

>ponder
You ponder.

Heartsfyre says, "Interesting."

Plake asks, "Even the ones who constructed that room?"

Anuril quietly says, "I hate ghosts."

Tichond ponders.

>say }Plake No one knows what happened to those who sealed themselves inside.
You say to Plake, "No one knows what happened to those who sealed themselves inside."

>shrug plake
You look at Plake and shrug.

Plake grins.

Tichond says, "Cant imagine it's good."

>say Nearly 20 years later, Aesthene returned to Crossing and locked himself away inside the residence to work on a secret project.
You say, "Nearly 20 years later, Aesthene returned to Crossing and locked himself away inside the residence to work on a secret project."

>say Residents who lived near him reported see strange glowing lights flashing in the windows, but nothing else out of the ordinary seemed to happen.
You say, "Residents who lived near him reported see strange glowing lights flashing in the windows, but nothing else out of the ordinary seemed to happen."

>say Until one night when Aesthene's servants hauled a massive iron crate into the front yard.
You say, "Until one night when Aesthene's servants hauled a massive iron crate into the front yard."

Karthor says, "Ya'd think he's use the windowless room."

>grin karth
You grin at Karthor.

Rairken chuckles.

Tichond nods at Karthor, obviously agreeing with his views.

Rairken says, "It needed fresh air."

Rairken grins at Karthor.

>say That same night, utter chaos broke out.
You say, "That same night, utter chaos broke out."

Karthor looks at Rairken and shrugs.

>say Bolts of lightning filled the cloudless sky, a vaprous cloud hovered above the residence, multi-colored streaks of essence crackled through and between the different homes on the street, there was the sound of rattling chains that work people from their bed, and the ground shook in a massive quake.
You say, "Bolts of lightning filled the cloudless sky, a vaprous cloud hovered above the residence, multi-colored streaks of essence crackled through and between the different homes on the street, there was the sound of rattling chains that work people from their bed, and the ground shook in a massive quake."

Linota says, "Sounds like he had a storm chained up in that box."

Alanarue blinks at you.

Karthor asks, "Not quite cloudless then, eh?"

>say The next day, the massive iron crate was found open, epty, and discarded at the side of the street wait apparently waiting for trash pickup.
You say, "The next day, the massive iron crate was found open, epty, and discarded at the side of the street wait apparently waiting for trash pickup."

Anuril quietly says, "Was just a really good party."

Tichond grins at Anuril.

>say Then things died down again. Nothing out of the ordinary happened for many years, and the townsfolk came to grudgingly accept their eccentric neighbor.
You say, "Then things died down again. Nothing out of the ordinary happened for many years, and the townsfolk came to grudgingly accept their eccentric neighbor."

>shrug
You shrug.

>say Until!
You exclaim, "Until!"

>grin
You grin.

Anuril smirks.

>say One morning, another tremendous rumbling quaked the streets. This time, it killed dozens of people and turned half the town to rubble. Aesthene's Close itself sunk to the ground in ruins.
You say, "One morning, another tremendous rumbling quaked the streets. This time, it killed dozens of people and turned half the town to rubble. Aesthene's Close itself sunk to the ground in ruins."

Anuril blinks.

Linota says, "Hope somebody saved that box."

>say For many years people tried to figure out what had happened, with no luck.
You say, "For many years people tried to figure out what had happened, with no luck."

>say Aesthene himself was not seen again.
You say, "Aesthene himself was not seen again."

>say His servants and workers moved off to new lives.
You say, "His servants and workers moved off to new lives."

>say Some time later, one of this servants recalled what had happened that morning, as he lay on his own death bed.
You say, "Some time later, one of this servants recalled what had happened that morning, as he lay on his own death bed."

>say It seems Aesthene was obsessed with the idea of travel between time and space.
You say, "It seems Aesthene was obsessed with the idea of travel between time and space."

Vaddon nods.

Karthor mutters something into the air about time travel.

Plake ponders.

Anuril snaps his fingers.

Anuril mutters something into the air about moonies.

>say One night, he took on a curious experiement that involved a wonderous crystal that hung in a room of mirrors.
You say, "One night, he took on a curious experiement that involved a wonderous crystal that hung in a room of mirrors."

>say /quietly Could that crystal have been what was in the box?
You quietly ask, "Could that crystal have been what was in the box?"

Tichond squints.

Kintryn grins.

Alanarue peers quizzically at you.

>say The servant, who was attending to Aesthene at that time, watched as Aesthene performed this experiement and saw him.... just disappear.
You say, "The servant, who was attending to Aesthene at that time, watched as Aesthene performed this experiement and saw him.... just disappear."

>say The servant was frantic, as the room had no doors or windows. Without Aesthene, he would be confined there forever.
You say, "The servant was frantic, as the room had no doors or windows. Without Aesthene, he would be confined there forever."

>nibble dantia
You nibble your lip thoughtfully.

>say Then the wonderous crystal began to shake and hum. It coughed, sputtered... and Aesthene reappeared!
You exclaim, "Then the wonderous crystal began to shake and hum. It coughed, sputtered... and Aesthene reappeared!"

Melindrha says, "Blinking Moon Mages and their disappearing acts."

Vaddon smiles at Melindrha.

>say Aesthene's face was red, his hair was streaked white, the look in his eyes 'was of burning coals', and the smile on his face was 'remarkable'.
You say, "Aesthene's face was red, his hair was streaked white, the look in his eyes 'was of burning coals', and the smile on his face was 'remarkable'."

Linota says, "None of that sounds good."

>say He said he had been to a curious place, calling it 'incredible, simply incredible!'
You say, "He said he had been to a curious place, calling it 'incredible, simply incredible!'."

Plake nods.

>say For many nights Aesthene did this, disappearing and then reappearing from who knows where, keeping incomrehensible notes in his journal.
You say, "For many nights Aesthene did this, disappearing and then reappearing from who knows where, keeping incomrehensible notes in his journal."

>say Then, one fateful night, Aesthene turned to the servant and said...
You say, "Then, one fateful night, Aesthene turned to the servant and said..."

>say /loudly Tonight I embark on my greatest adventure.
You loudly say, "Tonight I embark on my greatest adventure."

Kethrai whispers something to Anuril.

Anuril nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views.

Tichond gazes at you.

Alanarue smiles at you, revealing the dimples in her cheeks.

>say He held aloft a blackened, twisted staff crowned with a gleaming emerald, uttered an incantation and....
You say, "He held aloft a blackened, twisted staff crowned with a gleaming emerald, uttered an incantation and...."

>gaze
You gaze off into the distance blankly.

Anuril grins.

>say ... he had an asthma attack.
You say, "... he had an asthma attack."

>say I'm serious.
You say, "I'm serious."

Karthor chuckles.

>chuckle
You chuckle.

Linota laughs!

Tichond raises an eyebrow.

Kethrai observes you with fascination.

Plake grins at you.

Linota says, "You can't be serious.."

>say Whatever was left unfinished in that incantation must have angered the power of the crystal.
You say, "Whatever was left unfinished in that incantation must have angered the power of the crystal."

>say It shuddered violently, tilted a little, and a thick bolt of lightning lashed out to swallow Aesthene whole.
You say, "It shuddered violently, tilted a little, and a thick bolt of lightning lashed out to swallow Aesthene whole."

>cringe
You cringe.

Telamont cringes.

Anuril gives Kethrai a gentle poke in the ribs.

Anuril quietly says to Kethrai, "Popcorn."

Kethrai offers Anuril a tall box of salted caramel popcorn flecked with tiny chunks of toffee.

>say As this happened, the walls around the servant began to crumble.
You say, "As this happened, the walls around the servant began to crumble."

Anuril accepts Kethrai's caramel popcorn.

Anuril takes a bite of the popcorn.

>say Only once the servant could see beyond the walls did he get an idea of everything else that happened that morning.
You say, "Only once the servant could see beyond the walls did he get an idea of everything else that happened that morning."

>say Everything was in ruin. Passages of the residence were blocked by rubble, rooms were gone, people were screaming.
You say, "Everything was in ruin. Passages of the residence were blocked by rubble, rooms were gone, people were screaming."

>say Roads buckled, whole houses were torn apart, trees were uprooted. It was chaos.
You say, "Roads buckled, whole houses were torn apart, trees were uprooted. It was chaos."

>sigh
You sigh.

Telamont sighs.

>say The servant waited his whole life for Aesthene's return.
You say, "The servant waited his whole life for Aesthene's return."

Vaddon says, "A honorable servant."

Anuril asks, "Was this in the middens?"

>say When it was clear he would not see him again, as the servant was now dying, he felt it was his duty to pass on what he knew of that night.
You say, "When it was clear he would not see him again, as the servant was now dying, he felt it was his duty to pass on what he knew of that night."

>say The servant said that he believed Aesthene would return one day, and that Aesthene would want to know what had happened that morning.
You say, "The servant said that he believed Aesthene would return one day, and that Aesthene would want to know what had happened that morning."

>say Now... if the rumors are true...
You say, "Now... if the rumors are true..."

>say Aesthene has reappeared around Crossing!
You exclaim, "Aesthene has reappeared around Crossing!"

Anuril gasps!

Karthor narrows his eyes.

Heartsfyre says, "Huh."

Vaddon casually observes the area.

>say }Anu The site where the residence once lay is now a warehouse. Some say you can still hear the crystal, and see weird things happening there. It's in the southwest portion of Crossing.
You say to Anuril, "The site where the residence once lay is now a warehouse. Some say you can still hear the crystal, and see weird things happening there. It's in the southwest portion of Crossing."

>say You can all visit, if you are brave enough.
You say, "You can all visit, if you are brave enough."

Anuril nods to you.

Linota exclaims, "Field trip!"

>say Now, what I've heard whispered is that Aesthene is in need of some cunning adventurers to help stablize various components of a containment device.
You say, "Now, what I've heard whispered is that Aesthene is in need of some cunning adventurers to help stablize various components of a containment device."

>say I'd like to take a pause here to acknowledge that we are reaching our one hour meeting time. So folks are free to step out if they'd like. But I will continue on to tell about what we've heard you can expect of this event.
You say, "I'd like to take a pause here to acknowledge that we are reaching our one hour meeting time. So folks are free to step out if they'd like. But I will continue on to tell about what we've heard you can expect of this event."

Anuril praises you.

Tichond smiles at you.

Vaddon nods to you.

Alanarue smiles, revealing the dimples in her cheeks.